04/18/2007

Singing/Signing - some signing YouTubery

I posted this over on MetaFilter, but I wanted to add a little and copy it over here. Right now I'm in the DC/Baltimore area. One of the things I like about DC is how you always see people signing on the subway. This is probably because Gallaudet is nearby. When I gave my talk at Computers in Libraries on Monday I had an ASL interpreter.

I've always liked cover songs on YouTube. It's fun to see people's performances. I've become really fascinated lately with ASL (and sign languages from other countries; yes, they are different) cover songs. Some of these are done by Deaf people and some are done by kids in their sign language classes or just signing hobbyists. Texting and videoblogging have really changed the way that Deaf people interact both with each other and also the hearing community. For many folks who signed before they learned English, having a way to speak their native language on the Internet is sort of a big deal. Here are a few signing songs that I liked.